What Exactly Is The Titanium Alloy Material Commonly Used in Orthopedics?

Among the many internal fixation materials in orthopedics, plates made of titanium are becoming more and more common. Not only does it differ from internal fixation materials made of stainless steel in terms of whether or not an MRI can be done after surgery, but it also exhibits different properties in other ways.
Titanium alloys have the advantages of chemical stability, high biocompatibility, high strength and light weight, which is why they are widely used as a standard for the manufacture of implant materials in the human body. About the properties and characteristics of this material, let's take a closer look below.

What is titanium alloy
Titanium alloy is a metal that contains a mixture of titanium and other chemical elements. These alloys have very high tensile strength and toughness (even at extreme temperatures). They are lightweight and have exceptional resistance to corrosion and the ability to withstand extreme temperatures. Titanium's high affinity for oxygen atoms means that a very thin layer of dense oxide (TiO2) can form on the surface of titanium alloys even in room temperature atmospheres, which accounts for the excellent corrosion resistance of titanium alloys.
Classification of titanium alloys
Titanium exists in two crystalline forms. At room temperature, unalloyed (commercially pure) titanium has a densely arranged hexagonal structure (hcp) called the alpha phase. When pure titanium reaches a temperature of 885°C (known as the beta transverse temperature of titanium), the crystal structure transforms into a cubic structure (bcc), known as the beta phase. The properties of titanium alloys depend mainly on the arrangement of the α and β phases, their volume fractions and their respective properties.